Mark Vender
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is convening a Building Confidence Conference in Sydney on May 2 and is encouraging professionals in property – working across investment, lending, valuation, cost reporting, construction risk, certification and development – to attend.
The aim of the conference is to facilitate industry-led discussion around the challenges to winning back public trust in the building and construction sector and ultimately what actions industry can (and should) take to manifest better built outcomes through greater professionalism.
“Following Opal Tower, the conduct of the building and construction industry has been at the centre of media and public interest,” says RICS. “While the intensity of scrutiny around this project has abated, RICS is one voice of a much larger chorus that wants to address systemic issues affecting the industry.
“Challenges include inconsistent minimum competency frameworks and licensing requirements, insufficient building inspection regimes, ‘value engineering’, PII with non-compliant exclusions and escalating premiums, fragmented co-regulation of professionals across the Federation, degradation of the role of professional associations, remediation of ACP facades and fire safety more broadly, a lack of understanding of the NCC and effective training, and conflicts of interest.
“Together these issues deflate confidence and foment investment uncertainty. So, what are major industry stakeholders doing to own and tackle these challenges?”
At the event, RICS is hoping to help establish a shared commitment from Industry to resolving existing challenges and is looking to involve a wide network of property professionals.
Speakers include the Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Murray Coleman OAM, Head of Development Projects, Macquarie Group, David Chandler OAM, Adjunct Professor, Western Sydney University, Bronwyn Weir, Managing Director, Bronwyn Weir Legal and Consulting, Dale Connor, CEO Building, Lendlease and Neil Savery, CEO, Australian Building Codes Board.
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